The back room that served as the entrance to the race track in the village square was dusty and dark, having only been used three times a year other than the Flower Festival in the spring, and Elli was expected to wait there with the other four girls, cast in a long wait for the results of the ballot for the Spring Goddess this year.
"Now remember, it really doesn't matter who gets it," Ann tried to calm everyone's nerves, but to no avail, Maria was still trembling anyway. Being the mayor's daughter, poor little Maria had been forced to enter and she looked like she certainly did not want to get it.
Popuri helped Ann calm their friend down, but for the moment Karen leaned against a pole chatting with Elli about the insignificance of this festival. She'd been excessively crabby this week after another blow-up with her emotional, "useless" mother and her alcoholic father, and the entire time Kai, the vineyard master's apprentice, had been watching and only causing Karen some embarrassment.
"That is why I hope you get it," Elli said calmly. "You alone know that you are beautiful and can dance well, and you don't need your father or your mother to be there to see that. We do already."
"I dunno," Karen said bluntly as her face turned red. "I won't know how to put that thing on."
"The Goddess costume consists of a single plain pink dress with no sleeves," explained Popuri enthusiastically, "and the skirt billows out like a flower and swishes around your ankles in the wind or when you're dancing. Then there's this lei of pink, blue, and white flowers that goes across you like this," she demonstrated like a purse strap, "and another one that is joined at the ends, which sits atop your head like a crown. But there's this one part of it where you tuck it into your hair, so it doesn't fall off. Oh, and you get to wear these pink sandals too."
"Popuri?" Karen eyed her.
"What?"
"You know way too much about this stuff."
"Thank you."
Through the double-doors came the mayor and his wife. The mayor, short and stout with his red top hat and tailcoat with large brass buttons, looked rather comical and shook with glee as he adjusted his spectacles to read the results of the ballot. His wife has just returned from getting the pink dress cleaned professionally and had it draped across both of her arms.
"I hope this is all of them," the Mayor said to himself as he counted up the slips of paper.
"I don't wanna have to sit through this," Maria moaned tensely, almost inaudible, but the other girls could hear her. Popuri took Maria's hand and squeezed it affectionately and Elli took the other.
"The Goddess this year is........................................"
All five of them, even the ones who didn't want to get it, held their breath. Elli felt so bad for doing so because she knew they all privately wanted it (Maria at least wanted it a little bit), but she didn't know who wanted it just to be Goddess or who wanted it for Jack's attention.
"............Elli!!!!!!!!!!" the mayor cried out, as if he were announcing the newly-elected queen of the planet.
"Thanks a whole lot," Elli muttered under her breath as Popuri hugged her and the other three yelled their congratulations.
"Isn't it great??? You're finally Goddess!! You're going to look so pretty, Elli! I knew you would be chosen. Yes, Elli's been perfect for it all along, hasn't she?" the girls shouted and laughed excitedly all at the same time.
"I just don't get it......" her voice trailed off. Holding the beautiful dress in her arms, she felt as if she woke up and realized that being selected as Goddess really was more than she expected it to be.
"Gimme those," Karen snatched the papers out of the mayor's hands before he and his wife left the room. "Elli, you got eleven votes, Popuri got six votes, I got four votes, Maria got four votes, and Ann got six votes. Gee, Elli... you've become so popular without even knowing it!!"
"I have??"
"Who in the world voted for me?" Maria mumbled.
"I did," Popuri stated.
"I voted for you," Maria replied, blushing.
"I voted for Elli," Ann said.
"I voted for Karen," Elli added.
"And I voted for Ann," Karen said, fanning out the papers. "It's funny how it all ends up."
Elli left them discreetly to change into the Goddess costume and sandals. She felt very glamorous for an interesting change, with the pink skirt indeed brushing against her bare legs. She had removed her slips and stockings that she had been so accustomed to, and her feet were also bare inside the shoes. Finally walking out of the race track entrance, she was showered by flower petals her friends had in these stupid little wicker baskets. It all felt so improper to her, as it wasn't her wedding day or anything, and she never had a festival for her, all other festivals were partially set up by her. Reaching the end of the line, she curtsied and stood on the Mayor's right; to the left was the King that had been selected last year, and this time it was the Potion Shop dealer. She didn't mind dancing with him since they were always a great help to each other in exchanging herbs and spices, but did she really want to spend her moment as the beautiful Spring Goddess dancing with someone as un-romantic as the old grandfather to Kent and Stu? Not quite so much.
"Elli!!!!!" she heard a young man's voice holler from somewhere off in the distance, and Jack came running up to her energetically. "So this is you guys' Flower Festival! It's impressive, although I am sorry I came a bit too late."
"Late or not," she said, "I'm glad you came. Spring festivals are really enjoyable times of the year. I wanted you to be here when I got it.... Well, Jack, just between you and me, I feel a little out of place here wearing this. What do you think (and tell me the truth)?"
Jack stroked his chin with his thumb thoughtfully and scrutinized her, making her laugh. "Well, I think it looks nice! I never imagined you looking quite so... so glam in a dress like that. You know, I voted for you. I mean, all five of you are sweet and cute and all, but you're really, really nice and the most giving out of all of them."
Elli giggled. "Thanks, Jack. I'm glad you like it. And I appreciate your voting for me, especially because I didn't expect you to. Oh, um... well, we'll be expected to dance soon. You should find a partner over there," she pointed to the rest of the bunch, "since the Goddess is expected to dance with the King."
The music started and the Potion Shop dealer already swung her around before she could see Jack get up and ask anyone, but in the middle of the twirls and energetic, bouncy little hops she noticed Jack dancing with Maria. She wished, of course, that he would have asked her, but she felt that maybe they didn't know each other well enough yet, and she wanted either Karen or Maria to dance with him in the first place. Karen and Maria deserved some cheering up the most. They both looked like they were having so much fun, Maria and Jack. Elli saw Maria dance and do this kind of thing rarely, and with Jack catching her wrist so naturally for the twirls she didn't seem afraid at all. Maybe she could get Maria and Jack together, after all. Knowing this, she decided that as long as she felt like she did a good thing by not dancing with Jack, it was perfectly alright to spend her most glamorous moment without the perfect-looking dance partner to match.
"Now remember, it really doesn't matter who gets it," Ann tried to calm everyone's nerves, but to no avail, Maria was still trembling anyway. Being the mayor's daughter, poor little Maria had been forced to enter and she looked like she certainly did not want to get it.
Popuri helped Ann calm their friend down, but for the moment Karen leaned against a pole chatting with Elli about the insignificance of this festival. She'd been excessively crabby this week after another blow-up with her emotional, "useless" mother and her alcoholic father, and the entire time Kai, the vineyard master's apprentice, had been watching and only causing Karen some embarrassment.
"That is why I hope you get it," Elli said calmly. "You alone know that you are beautiful and can dance well, and you don't need your father or your mother to be there to see that. We do already."
"I dunno," Karen said bluntly as her face turned red. "I won't know how to put that thing on."
"The Goddess costume consists of a single plain pink dress with no sleeves," explained Popuri enthusiastically, "and the skirt billows out like a flower and swishes around your ankles in the wind or when you're dancing. Then there's this lei of pink, blue, and white flowers that goes across you like this," she demonstrated like a purse strap, "and another one that is joined at the ends, which sits atop your head like a crown. But there's this one part of it where you tuck it into your hair, so it doesn't fall off. Oh, and you get to wear these pink sandals too."
"Popuri?" Karen eyed her.
"What?"
"You know way too much about this stuff."
"Thank you."
Through the double-doors came the mayor and his wife. The mayor, short and stout with his red top hat and tailcoat with large brass buttons, looked rather comical and shook with glee as he adjusted his spectacles to read the results of the ballot. His wife has just returned from getting the pink dress cleaned professionally and had it draped across both of her arms.
"I hope this is all of them," the Mayor said to himself as he counted up the slips of paper.
"I don't wanna have to sit through this," Maria moaned tensely, almost inaudible, but the other girls could hear her. Popuri took Maria's hand and squeezed it affectionately and Elli took the other.
"The Goddess this year is........................................"
All five of them, even the ones who didn't want to get it, held their breath. Elli felt so bad for doing so because she knew they all privately wanted it (Maria at least wanted it a little bit), but she didn't know who wanted it just to be Goddess or who wanted it for Jack's attention.
"............Elli!!!!!!!!!!" the mayor cried out, as if he were announcing the newly-elected queen of the planet.
"Thanks a whole lot," Elli muttered under her breath as Popuri hugged her and the other three yelled their congratulations.
"Isn't it great??? You're finally Goddess!! You're going to look so pretty, Elli! I knew you would be chosen. Yes, Elli's been perfect for it all along, hasn't she?" the girls shouted and laughed excitedly all at the same time.
"I just don't get it......" her voice trailed off. Holding the beautiful dress in her arms, she felt as if she woke up and realized that being selected as Goddess really was more than she expected it to be.
"Gimme those," Karen snatched the papers out of the mayor's hands before he and his wife left the room. "Elli, you got eleven votes, Popuri got six votes, I got four votes, Maria got four votes, and Ann got six votes. Gee, Elli... you've become so popular without even knowing it!!"
"I have??"
"Who in the world voted for me?" Maria mumbled.
"I did," Popuri stated.
"I voted for you," Maria replied, blushing.
"I voted for Elli," Ann said.
"I voted for Karen," Elli added.
"And I voted for Ann," Karen said, fanning out the papers. "It's funny how it all ends up."
Elli left them discreetly to change into the Goddess costume and sandals. She felt very glamorous for an interesting change, with the pink skirt indeed brushing against her bare legs. She had removed her slips and stockings that she had been so accustomed to, and her feet were also bare inside the shoes. Finally walking out of the race track entrance, she was showered by flower petals her friends had in these stupid little wicker baskets. It all felt so improper to her, as it wasn't her wedding day or anything, and she never had a festival for her, all other festivals were partially set up by her. Reaching the end of the line, she curtsied and stood on the Mayor's right; to the left was the King that had been selected last year, and this time it was the Potion Shop dealer. She didn't mind dancing with him since they were always a great help to each other in exchanging herbs and spices, but did she really want to spend her moment as the beautiful Spring Goddess dancing with someone as un-romantic as the old grandfather to Kent and Stu? Not quite so much.
"Elli!!!!!" she heard a young man's voice holler from somewhere off in the distance, and Jack came running up to her energetically. "So this is you guys' Flower Festival! It's impressive, although I am sorry I came a bit too late."
"Late or not," she said, "I'm glad you came. Spring festivals are really enjoyable times of the year. I wanted you to be here when I got it.... Well, Jack, just between you and me, I feel a little out of place here wearing this. What do you think (and tell me the truth)?"
Jack stroked his chin with his thumb thoughtfully and scrutinized her, making her laugh. "Well, I think it looks nice! I never imagined you looking quite so... so glam in a dress like that. You know, I voted for you. I mean, all five of you are sweet and cute and all, but you're really, really nice and the most giving out of all of them."
Elli giggled. "Thanks, Jack. I'm glad you like it. And I appreciate your voting for me, especially because I didn't expect you to. Oh, um... well, we'll be expected to dance soon. You should find a partner over there," she pointed to the rest of the bunch, "since the Goddess is expected to dance with the King."
The music started and the Potion Shop dealer already swung her around before she could see Jack get up and ask anyone, but in the middle of the twirls and energetic, bouncy little hops she noticed Jack dancing with Maria. She wished, of course, that he would have asked her, but she felt that maybe they didn't know each other well enough yet, and she wanted either Karen or Maria to dance with him in the first place. Karen and Maria deserved some cheering up the most. They both looked like they were having so much fun, Maria and Jack. Elli saw Maria dance and do this kind of thing rarely, and with Jack catching her wrist so naturally for the twirls she didn't seem afraid at all. Maybe she could get Maria and Jack together, after all. Knowing this, she decided that as long as she felt like she did a good thing by not dancing with Jack, it was perfectly alright to spend her most glamorous moment without the perfect-looking dance partner to match.